A week ago, I scribbled my name on the Berlin wall (or at least what remains of it).

The East Side Gallery: A section of the Berlin wall that is about a
kilometer long and stands as one of the largest open-air galleries of today,
consisting of about 100 paintings created by artists from around the world.
The artwork revolves around many themes such as one's basic right to freedom
and the hope of a peaceful future for all of the world's people.

For two days, my friend Breanna and I explored Berlin, a trip we had planned ourselves

(with help of the National Geographic travel guide) as a closure to our year in Europe.

I truly loved the ambience of the city: we didn't feel the rushed, New York hustle and bustle like I had expected, but rather a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere that was also young and energized. To me, it felt like a college town rather than one of the world's most historic cities (nonetheless it is home to Humboldt University, a school that Karl Marx, Albert Einstein, and Otto von Bismark had attended among many other remarkable men).

﻿

Holocaust Memorial: 2,711 concrete blocks which
aim to represent an ordered system that has lost touch
with reason, such as was witnessed during the Holocaust.

﻿﻿

The Reichstag

﻿﻿

The Brandenburg Gate

﻿

Checkpoint Charlie: One of the best known crossing points between East and West Berlin

during the Cold War. This was the sole crossing point for both foreigners and Allied forces.

﻿﻿﻿

Humboldt University of Berlin

I only have more 9 more days, and then I have to wake up.

Happy 4th of July.

PS: Today I went to the Lion of Waterloo and toured around the battlefield where Napolean was defeated (practically where I've been living my entire exchange) to display my patriotism.

Yes, I know, there's absolutely no correlation whatsoever.. It was the English who defeated Napolean, not the Americans. But hey, at least I kind of celebrated an important battle. That has to count for something.